Caves and Contents

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Caves and Contents

Cave 1

Found accidentally by a Bedouin searching for stray animals in early 1947 (though it may have been earlier), Cave 1 contained the best-preserved scrolls, which had been protected by tall clay jars with lids. The notable scrolls discovered here included two copies of the Book of Isaiah, the War Scroll, which describes an expected apocalyptic battle between the Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, and the Rule of the Community, which contains the rules of the sect thought to have composed many of the Scrolls.

Contents found in Cave 1:

1Q1: Genesis
1Q2: Exodus
1Q3: Paleo-Leviticus
1Q4: Deuteronomy
1Q5: Deuteronomy
1Q6: Judges
1Q7: Samuel
1QIsa: Isaiah Scroll
1Q8: Isaiah
1Q9: Ezekial
1Q10: Psalms
1Q11: Psalms
1Q12: Psalms
1Q13: Phylactery
1Q14: Pesher Micah
1QpHab: Pesher Habakkuk
1Q15: Pesher Zephaniah
1Q16: Pesher Psalms
1Q17: Jubliees
1Q18: Jubilees
1Q19: Noah
1QapGen: Genesis Apocryphon
1Q20: Genesis Apocryphon
1Q21: Levi (Aramaic)
1Q22: Moses
1Q23: Enoch
1Q24: Enoch
1Q25: Apocryphal Prophecy
1Q26: Wisdom Apocryphon
1Q27: Mysteries
1Q28: Community Rule
1QS: Community Rule
1Q28: Congregation Rule
1Q28: Rule of the Blessings
1Q29: Liturgy of 3 Tongues of Fire
1Q30: liturgical text
1Q31: liturgical text
1Q32: New Jerusalem
1Q33: War Scroll
1QM: War Scroll
1Q34: liturgical prayers
1QH: Hodayot
1Q35: Hodayot
1Q36: hymns?
1Q37: hymns?
1Q38: hymns?
1Q39: hymns?
1Q40: hymns?
1Q41-70: unclassified
1Q71: Daniel
1Q72: Daniel

Sources

Vermes, Geza. The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English. New York: Penguin Press, 1997.

Schiffman, Lawrence and VanderKam, James. The Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Vol. 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

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